Attachment for card-sorting machines



C. D. LAKE.

ATTACHMENT FOR CARD SORTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED Aue.24.192o.

1,372,964. Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

C. D. LAKE.

ATTACHMENT FOR CARD SORTING MACHINES.

APPLLCATION FILED AUG.24 1920.

m3 Q m 0W w w i mm} 1/ 4 W3 C. D. LAKE. ATTACHMENT FOR CARD SORTINGMACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24, 1920.

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Patented Mar 29, 1921.

UNITED STATES CIJAIR DENNISON LAKE, OF -BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO THE MACHINE COMIEANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PATENT OFFICE.

TABULATING ATTACHMENT FOR CARD-SORTING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd M 29 1921 Application filedAugust 24, 1920. Serial No. 405,613.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CLAIR D. L. AKE, a citizen of the UnitedStates,-res1d1ng at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of NewYork; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachmentsfor Card-Sorting Machines. of which the following is a full,-clear, andexact description.

The invention upon which this application-for Letters Patent is basedresides in an attachment to the well known sorting machines fortabulator cards, such as are used in the Hollerith. system. Such sortingmachines do not form any part of the present invention, but are or maybe of the gpneral character set forth in the Patent to Hollerith, No.1,237,646, dated Aug. 21, 1917, and, in general terms are characterizedby the following peculiarities.

A bunch' of cards, which are to be sorted according to certain indexholes punched therein, are successively brought 'into operative orcontrol position, and set by means of the record which they contain,devices which determine the point of delivery of each card; whichdevices remain so set while the cards are in transit to' thesorting'stations, where their delivery into appropriate compartments iseffected through the instrumentality of means controlled by such setdevices.

The cards used in this system have a certain fixed number of columns inwhich theindex holes are punched, and this number is limited bypractical conditions and considerations so that generally not more thanThe sorting machines when set and adapted for use operate upon a singlecolumn at a time, so that under ordinary conditions it .is permissibleto punch but a single hole in a given column.

' It follows, however, from the possible number of figures or positionsin each column for index holes, that the full capacity of the cards isseldom utilized, and it is manifest that if more than one index holecouldbe punched in a given column the possibility of sorting the cardsaccording to the data required would-thereby be greatly increased.

It may also be desired to sort out from a mass of cards all having indexholes above a certain point; for example, if each column bedesigned forten index points, all cards that are known to be punched above and downto the fifth point may be sorted out and the others bunched.

These considerations make it desirable that the sorting machine beequipped with some device that will accomplish they desired results.Heretofore, special andv separate cams, contacts and switches have beenadded and used for the purpose'but the purposev of'my present inventionis to use a standard construction of the sorting machine throughout, butto employ in connec tion' therewith an attachment which can be set atthe will of the operator. either for straight sorting or for splittingthe column at any desired point, so that only those cards which haveholes above a certain position will be sorted and all others bunched andrejected. This device is known now *in the nature hereinabove set forth.

Figure 1 is a view of the improved attachment in side elevation the sideplate bemg removed to show the interior mecha-- nlsm.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the cover removed.

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation, the cover being removed.

Fig. 4 is a View in side elevation of a ratchet and pawl together withthe set wheel.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the. drive shaft.'

mechanism and tripping cam.

Fig. is a section showing a reset'mecha nism. Fig. 8 is a detail of acam and lever.

Fig. 9 is a rear view of a latch lever, and

iFig. 10 is a wiring diagram of the appara us. I Y

7 Fig. 6 is a sectional View through the latch The operative parts arecontained in a operate contacts 6 and 7 in the manner hereinafterdescribed and these contacts are properly secured to or supported by theframe of the device.

The purpose of the contacts (3 and 7 will be understood from the diagramFig. 10. In this figure 8 is a contact brush in the sorting machine andthe cards to be sorted are passed between it and a roller or metal plate9, so that when a perforation in the card comes under the brush thecurrent from a suitable source 10 flows through the contacts and thesorting magnet 11, and by the latter is delivered into its appropriatecompartment or receptacle.

The cam 4 is so formed as shown in Fig. 1, that it raises the contact (3only for a brief period at the end of each revolution or cycle; at allother times the circuit. which is completed by the contact coming intoengagement with a stop 12, is open.

The contact 7 is flexibly connected with the frame at 13 and completesits circuit when it engages a fixed stop 11 on a rigid bar 15. It isnormally locked up against the force of its spring by a stop 16 which itcarries engaging with a latch on the lever 17 (Figs 6 and 7). is shapedThe cam o to engage the tail of lever 17 during a given part of itsrotation and therebythrows the latch and releases the contact 7.allowing it to complete its circuit.

The connection, therefore. between the brush 8 and the sorting magnet 11cannot be made except at the end of a cycle through contact 6, unlessthe latch has been tripped and contact 7 allowed to drop.

The cam 5 has a single projection. It is secured by set screws to a hub18 which is mounted free to turn on the shaft 3. It is adapted, however,to be rotated by a pawl ing point.

19, Fig. 4, which engages with a ratchet wheel 20 fast or keyed to shaft3.

The hub 18 has a flange, the periphery of which is provided with gearteeth 21 and tothis flange by screws 23 is secured an index wheel 22. Inthe frame of the device and mounted parallel with the shaft 3 is a shaft24 which carries a sleeve 25 with an. arm in which is set a toothedthumb wheel 26. Rigid with said shaft 24 is an arm or lever 27, Figs. 2and 8, with a button 28 at its end and having a projection 29 thereon.-

If thislever be depressed and the shaft 3 turned by hand until a notch30 in a disk 31 fixed to the shaft comes under the projection 29, thenthe thumb wheel 26 will be brought into gear with the teeth on theflanged hub 18, and by turning the thumb wheel, the index wheel will beset to expose any desired number at the zero or register- This meansthat the cam 5 will be set so that. its high point will trip the latch}17 at any given point in the cycle which is represented by the figure onthe wheel 22 at the zero point, and as the figures on this wheelcorrespond with the horizontal rows ,of numbers on the card, or to thenumbers which may be punched out from such card, it follows that themachine may thus be set to sort all cards having holes beyond suchpoint. but none below it.

For example, if a column is to be split between 5 and 6 the index wheelis turned to expose 5 which will so adjust the cam 5 that no holepunched in a number greater than 5 will have any effect on the operationof the machine. It will be understood that the positions for the holesare numbered consecutively from the top of the card downward, and thatthe cards move over the brush downward.

\V hen the device has thus been set it may be operated indefinitely tosort all cards punched in that part of a column determined by theadjustment, but by each rotation of the shaft 3 the latch is not onlyreleased but locked. The latter function is performed by a cam 32 onwhich rides a roller 33 on a pivoted lever 34, having a spring 35connecting it to the frame. When the lever is raised by the cam a pin 36thereon engages a part of the contact 7 and 6 may be disregarded but itspurpose is to close a circuit from the brush to the sorting magnet for abrief interval near the end of the cycle, and immediately after thecircuit through contact 7 has been broken. This is a feature not new inthis connection and is intended to give ample time and opportunity forthe operation of the machine when the brush is passing over the lasthorizontal line of holes or index points on a card.

This device may be attached to any cardsorting machine without change ormodification of the latter. It forms a highly useful and efficient meansof utilizing to greater advantage the possibilities of the cards andapparatus as heretofore constructed.

What I claim is 1. A universal split attachment for card sortingmachines, comprising,'in combina tion, a circuit controller in the pathof the circuit which includes the brush contact and a sorting magnet,and means for closing the same by the operator of the machine at anypredetermined part of the cycle of operation.

2. A universal. split attachment for card sorting machines, comprising,in combination, a circuit controllerin the path of the circuit whichincludes the brush" contact and a sorting magnet, and an adjustable camfor closing said controller atany predeterm ned point in the cycle ofoperation.

3. A universal split attachment for card sorting machines, com rising,in combination, a circuit control er normally locked out of operation,and means for-unlocking the same at any predetermined point in eachcycle of operation and thereby permitting it to close a break in thecircuit to a sorting magnet.

, 4. The combination with the card sorting circuit of a card sortingmachine, of a circuit controller therein, means for normally locking thesame in inoperative condition, an adjustable cam which, by itsadjustment, operates to unlock said circuit controller at anypredetermined point in the cycle of operation' and permit 1t to 0 rate,and, means -for relockingvsaid control er in inoperative condition atthe end of the cycle.

5.- The combination with the cardsorting Q circuit of a card sortingmachine, of a circuit controller therein, means for normally looking acam, an index wheel and means for setting the latter to point'on thecycle of operation and permit it to operate, engage with same at theend'of each cycle.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflixmy signature.

CLAIR DENNISON LAKE.

the same in inoperative condition,

adjust the cam to unlock the circuit controller at any predetermined anda second cam adapted to said controller and relock the

